NOTES ON HYMENOPTERA. 133 



rule. No one is surprised at these reports, because they all 

 indicate a feeling of astonishment that such should be the 

 case, when the appearance of females in unusually large 

 numbers in the spring is at the same time referred to, in 

 almost every report; my own observations coincide precisely 

 with these notices. Mr. Stone, our most eminent Vesparian, 

 has published his report, and it proves to be confirmatory of 

 the general character of observations that have appeared 

 upon the subject. From Newcastle, Mr. Bold writes, 

 *' Female wasps were exceedingly abundant in the spring, 

 but they suddenly disappeared about the second w^ek in 

 May." I have a similar account from Mr. H. Doubleday, of 

 Epping. 



Of the few notices that I have seen of an opposite expe- 

 rience, one is before me from Mr. C. G. Barrett of Hasle- 

 mere, who writes, " Wasps have been sufficiently abundant 

 here all the season. In the early part of summer they 

 frequented the shops in swarms ; although that has not been 

 the case so much lately, it has only been from the abundance 

 of fruit of all kinds, which has furnished them with plenty 

 of food. They have attacked the apples, pears and plums, 

 and have abounded all the autumn on the blackberries ; the 

 crop of mulberries has been almost entirely destroyed by 

 them ; they have been a complete nuisance at the sugar 

 placed on trees to attract moths. At the same time hornets 

 have been vastly more common than I recollect to have seen 

 them before." 



This latter report shows, that, although the scarcity of the 

 Vespid(B has been very general, it has not been universal; 

 we are, however, at a loss to understand the cause of this ; 

 their scarcity cannot be attributed to prevailing wet or cold 

 weather ; the spring was dry and warm. If I were to seek 

 for the cause in such facts as have presented themselves 



